BEIRUT — Druze Sheikh Aql (spiritual leader) Sami Abi al-Mona led a prominent religious delegation to Baabda Presidential Palace on Thursday for a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The visit marks the first by the highest Druze religious authority to the president since his election on Jan. 9 and follows a series of recent visits by other religious leaders to Baabda.

"We are with you and at your side as a community, as a body and as friends," Abi al-Mona said at the end of the meeting.

"We hope that the affairs of the state will be put back in order very quickly and easily, with unanimous Arab and international support," he added.

Abi al-Mona emphasized the Druze community’s commitment to the state, stating, “The state is our protector, and we call on all politicians to collaborate [with you] in this new, promising experience.” His remarks referred to the election of Joseph Aoun as president and the appointment of Judge Nawaf Salam as prime minister — two figures outside Lebanon’s traditional political establishment.